Strawberry Season

 

Most berries are really tasty but strawberries are among the most delicious.  

We are now coming into strawberry season.  

One drawback of strawberries is they can have a short shelf life. 

Within a couple of days, they can get mushy, moldy, and unappealing. 

Recently, I came across a method of storing strawberries that was highly recommended. 

Believe it or not, it worked!

Into a clean mason jar, place a folded paper towel on the bottom.  

Wash and dry strawberries, add them to the jar, put the cover on it, and pop it into the refrigerator.

Strawberries I placed in it several days ago are still as firm and as delicious as they were the day they were purchased.

At a breakfast with a very dear cousin the other morning, I served, among several breakfast items, strawberry halves with creamed cheese to which maple syrup had been added. Delicious!

The berry halves were arranged on a dessert plate in the Old Country Roses pattern.

That set of dishes used to be kept in my late maternal grandmother's hutch and used only for special occasions.

These days they are used daily because life is short, right? 

As we get older, we should use the fine china, drink out of the crystal glasses if they appeal to us, and eat those strawberries!

 Do you agree?

 

The Beauty and Majesty of Trees

There is something inexplicable about one's love for trees.

In my own life, seeing a tree chopped down always deeply wounded my spirit. 

Trees should be loved and kept alive as long as  possible.

When looking at the huge, old tree in my daughter's yard  (shown at the top of this post),  a poem by Joyce Kilmer always comes to mind.

According to information online, he was born in 1886 in New Jersey, and earned a college journalism degree. He eventually married and he and his wife had five children.

Tragically, during World War I, he enlisted in the Armed Services and was shot by a German sniper in 1918.

My own late mother used to recite the following poem by heart to her five daughters when we were kids. 

I remember it so poignantly.

This is Joyce Kilmer's inspiring poem about a tree:

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

This poem is in the public domain.

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Look for the Good Things

 

 A very dear friend of mine, Rosie, who is older than me, always lifts my spirit.

She is upbeat----positive---- constantly looking on the bright side and honestly, it is wonderful to be with someone like Rosie.

Her life journey has not been pain free either.  

 She's suffered a lot and come through some soul-crushing disappointments.

But she never concentrates on the difficult times, past or present.

Also, her faith in God and positive outcomes is strong.

From this dear soul, I've learned to appreciate every breath that is taken because each one is a gift.

Each new day of life, too, is given to us to enjoy, to cherish, and to enjoy.

My friend and I had a long phone conversation recently. 

"Getting older is hard," I told her and Rosie agreed.

There are health challenges galore, deep disappointments, bills that come in like Niagara Falls, loneliness, stomach aches, headaches, and on and on.

 Getting older brings lots of  challenges and difficulties, including arthritis in different parts of the body, hip pains, feet difficulties, knee discomfort, sleep disturbances, and many more difficulties.

All of those maladies prove something great and that is, we are alive!

 So yes, rather than concentrate on the negatives, we need to try to appreciate everything around in nature like flowers, fresh breezes, rain, the sun, stars, and the moon, gorgeous trees that jut up to the skies, and changing seasons.

Life, despite all the setbacks, pains, and discouragements, is pretty darned precious. 

Photos in this post are things available to see every single day. 

Each one can be appreciated and savored.

PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT GETTING OLDER.

We Will Owe Them Forever

 

 Most holidays are cause for celebration but not today's.

It's Memorial Day in America.

It commemorates the sacrifice of U.S. military men and women who fought and then died for this country's freedom.

So the last Monday of May, we always honor and mourn those who left American soil to serve in the Armed Forces and defend their country.

They said goodbye to their loved ones with tears, dreams, and hopes, and never returned. 

When we were kids, in our family, our mother had us pile into the car to visit graves of soldiers in the cemetery.

There were always American flags near the graves of  those who served, placed by various service groups. 

Today, a flag flies near my late father's grave, too, as he was in the U.S. Infantry and fought valiantly.  

He was one of the lucky ones who came home.

Seeing so many flags, row after row across the green grass of the cemetery,  gently blowing in the wind, always made my heart terribly sad.

All the agonies suffered in wars, spilled blood, loss of limbs, and eyesight, and yes, bodies blown up and death, were the price they paid for freedom.

We can never take their sacrifices or our freedom for granted.  

Today, we honor and weep for the heroes who gave up their lives so the rest of us could have freedom.

We will owe them forever.

The Merry Month of May

The merry month of May is edging closer to its end.

Don't worry, each day left will be totally savored, for the treasure that it is.

But June will be here before anybody knows it.

For those who embrace Catholicism, May has traditionally been the month to honor Mary, the Mother of God.

Here in the apartment, the statue of our Lady of Guadalupe came to spend the month on the small kitchen table. 

A candle, surrounded by faded pink roses and daisies, has been lighted in front of her.

We don't pray to the statue. We honor the Mother of God that it represents.

Soon, the statue will go back onto the bedroom dresser, where there is the icon of Mary shown at the top of this post.

With all my heart, I hope the month of May has been a good one for you.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day so those who have it free from work will have a nice three day weekend.

Enjoy each moment of today and Monday. 

There's still time to enjoy every minute of the lingering days of Merry May!

Happy Saturday

Happy Saturday, Everyone...                                                                 

May your day be filled with many good things, thoughts, and deeds.

Two of my little grandsons both love to take photos.

One, age nine, asked if he could use my cellphone one afternoon this past week. It actually takes really nice photos.

He went out onto the familys sun room and took photos of a small bouquet of flowers in an amber vase. 

It came out quite lovely.

I told him he was a very good photographer and maybe he'd make that his profession.

Nope. He made it very clear that was not in the cards.

It's important to let children develop their own interests, even if they become just hobbies instead of professions.

Children need to be commended, encouraged, and validated.

Many times, the seeds of the future are truly planted in childhood.

Isn't the little bouquet of flowers adorable?

Childhood Memories: Lilies of the Valley

 

So many memories from childhood still remain with us, tucked inside our hearts  and minds.

One memory is of picking lilies of the valley in the spring.

My late Aunt Gert would take a bunch of us kids and walk into a forest near her home. 

 We'd go on a lily of the valley hunt!

Tender stalks covered with little white flowers that looked like bells hid behind big, green leaves. 

We'd part the leaves and voila!, there they were, beautiful lilies of the valley.

Their fragrance defies description. It is delicate and light but intoxicating.

Consequently, when I found lilies of the valley recently, it was a delight to pick a tiny bunch of them.

They are placed inside a very pretty former salt shaker, without its top, of course.

 They sit on top of my bedroom dresser.  

Memories of my dear Aunt Gert, along with those lily of the valley forest excursions, are safe and sound inside my heart.

 

 

Art Adds to Ambiance

 
Just as it's impossible to imagine a home or an apartment without books, the same thing goes for art.

Art adds so much to a living space.

One can choose paintings with the same theme or select a variety of subjects.

The art on the walls of my own apartment reflect a variety of themes.

However, I am definitely partial to florals. 

The one shown in today's post, of yellow roses, was found in a thrift store.

It's extremely lovely, was selected by my daughter, and became a gift for her.

She loves it, too, and it is perched on one side of the family  fireplace in her home.

I have no idea where the artist who painted it is from, or whether that person is still alive,  but the painting touches the heart.

WHAT KIND OF ART DO YOU LOVE?

Loving Pothos

There's a pothos plant hanging in my daughter's home.

It's a really beautiful plant that is so generous with its lovely green leaves. 

It seems to be growing prodigiously. 

My daughter's pothos was given to her by one of my nieces.

Every time I visit, the plant seems to have grown more! 

It has long stems inching up two different windows!

There is a lot of information on the internet about pothos.

For instance, I read where it is extremely poisonous to humans and animals so we won't be munching on the leaves any time soon.

One site said it's also known as "devil's ivy" because it's hard to kill it. 

It can take a great deal of neglect yet hangs on!

Still, it makes me smile that a cutting of it is coming to my apartment!

WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT POTHOS?

Lilacs, a True Gift from God

 

One of the Creator's greatest gifts to us, His precious children, is the gift of flowers.

Of course, specific kinds of flowers often make our hearts happy.

Lilacs are very, very special to me.

My daughter gave me a lovely bouquet of them on Saturday afternoon, when I went to visit.

Lilacs propel me back to childhood.

Every May, without a hitch, the buds on lilac bushes would burst into gorgeous lavender blooms.

 Also, their  sudden and then very brief appearance makes them all the more precious.

 While beautiful to look at, the best part of lilacs is their divine fragrance. 

The scent of lilacs can fill an entire room and waft down the hall into other rooms as well.

 If you don't have lilac bushes where you live, look for a native plant that is also fun to have around.

May your day today be super blessed.  Happy Sunday!

Adjust to Change and Learn to Solve Problems

Throughout all the adventurous, challenging, difficult, rewarding, and wonderful years of raising children, my late husband and I always tried to instill two very important lessons.

We tried to live these principles, namely, learn to adjust to change and learn to solve problems and life will be good.

 

Regarding adjusting to change, my better half must have said, "Accept and adapt" when changes come, at least a half a million times, during the child-rearing years.                                                                                                           

We made valiant efforts to teach the ability to solve problems by doing just that in our own lives.   

The kids saw plenty of examples of this and still do, even though my husband now lives on the other side of life. (He will always be the greatest gift of my life.) 

Now our "children" are adults with kids of their own.

My son and daughter-in-law ordered a really unique and lovely bouquet of flowers for me for Mother's Day.

It had so many different kinds of greens and flowers and the bigger branches jutted several inches into the air.  

It was definitely one of the most different bouquets ever seen in my life.                     

Yesterday, I removed the wilted flowers as well as pussy willows and other large stems.                                                                           

                             

There is a small but lovely bouquet of flowers left including purple tulips, white roses, and a single pink rose.

I placed everything left in a different vase.

While far from being as extravagant as the original bouquet, it is still very sweet to me and makes me think of my loved ones who live far away.

It made me feel lucky to be thought of and my heart filled with gratitude.

 Yes, I had to adjust to the change of losing some of the flowers and branches (as well as living far away from my son and his precious family including two grands.) 

However, it solved the problem of dying blooms and wilted floral stems.

Once again, the valuable life lessons came in handy.

WHAT CHANGE HAVE YOU HAD TO ADJUST TO RECENTLY AND WOULD YOU SHARE ONE PROBLEM YOU HAVE SOLVED? (EVEN IF IT WAS A LITTLE ONE)

A Thoughtful Remembrance

On school break this spring, my daughter and her family took a trip to Arizona.

We lived there many years before moving back to the east, so the territory is familiar to my daughter. She actually grew up in Tucson.

Upon their return, she handed me a white paper bag from a darling shop in Sedona. 

Inside was a little gourd and inside of it was a sweet little manger scene.

It looks like a piece from a South American country.

I just love it and plan to keep it out all year!

Greeting Cards Bring Smiles

 

Receiving greeting cards, whether as thank-you's or to celebrate a special occasion, never fails to bring smiles.

It's always wonderful that someone has thought of us, right?

They not only thought of us, but they made the effort to get us a card, sign it, and then send it.

It's a very kind and loving gesture to send a card.

Some people say greeting cards are old-fashioned and on their way out but not for me! I hope to always send and receive them!

Simple cards are very appreciated and extra special ones are definitely loved.

The flowers at the top of this post are made from paper and came inside a very special greeting card from my daughter and her family for Mother's Day.

Opening the card revealed the bright, cheerful, and colorful floral bouquet!

Gotta love that one!

DO YOU STILL SEND OUT GREETING CARDS? DO YOU LIKE RECEIVING THEM?

A New Week

 

The start of a new week is usually cause for feeling hopeful and happy.

It's like getting ready to write on a blank blackboard, chalk in hand, and fresh ideas in one's head.

Mother's Day has come and gone. It was a blessed one here.

A really great part of it was receiving, from my daughter and son-in-law, a truly gorgeous supertunia, pink and purple, plant that now hangs outside the apartment door. 

Inside, the gentle fragrance of a white peony and  white and pink roses fills the air. They are part of an arrangement gifted from my son and daughter-in-law from out of state.                                                           

 

                                                      

Lunch will be leftover "pho," my absolute favorite Vietnamese soup which was also part of the gifts received from my daughter and her husband.

Here's hoping the new week will be awesome, with many goals accomplished, good health, and even some laughter.

At least, that's what I hope for you!

May is the Month of Mary

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MOTHERS EVERYWHERE! 

MAY YOUR DAY BE BLESSED.

 

May is Blessed Mother Mary's, the Queen of Heaven's,  month.

As kids, there were many ceremonies at church to honor the Mother of Christ.

There were living rosaries on the church lawn, crowning of the Blessed Mother on the church altar, and many, many songs sung in her honor.

Yes, I grew up with the of the Blessed Mother, very close to my heart.

She was kind, loving, and dedicated to her son, Jesus. 

 No doubt her heart was smashed when He died on the cross for His children. 

I can only imagine how hurt and traumatized Mary was, to see her only son whipped, spat upon, humiliated, and then nailed and hung from a cross. He was innocent but was still willing to die via crucifixion.

His rising from the dead three days later, however, must have restored Blessed Mary's in humanity and Her faith in all that is good. 

Her son would live again!

Now that May is here again, I brought my statue of the Blessed Mother Mary out of the bedroom and placed it onto the small kitchen table. 

She must have a place of honor all through this month.

 

A New Pope to Bring Hope

  

Roman Catholics throughout the world have cause to rejoice with the announcement that there is a new Pope at the Vatican.

The man who will be called Pope Leo XIV is Robert Prevost, originally from Illinois.

He is the very first American to ever be appointed to the important and vital role of Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

 Because he spent so much of his life as a missionary in Peru, South America, many don't even mention his being primarily American.  

On a personal note, the Pope is so imperative because he gives hope to millions of his followers.

He is close to God and has great influence in a world that desperately needs compassion, hope, and joy right now.

A warm welcome to Pope Leo XIV!

Lots of Gratitude

                                                       

              

 When one's spirit starts to plummet, it's important to stop it in its tracks.

 If a person allows negative thoughts and actions to proceed in life, they have a tendency to take over.                              

That's why it's imperative to immediately start thinking of all the good things you have been blessed with, not the negative.

 Most of us could tell about something we're grateful for with every letter of the alphabet. We are that blessed.

It's so much better to think about what we're grateful for instead of blaming, complaining, gossiping,  hating, lamenting, and resenting.

 While switching from complaints to gratitude, look around you and, hopefully, you will find dozens of things surrounding you for which you are thankful.

For instance, Stargazer lilies are my number one flower. Their fragrance is intoxicating. 

Coming across  a package of Stargazer lilies, it simply had to come home with me. 

Happiness in the future is in that box!

In this post, a couple of my precious dolls are things for which I'm grateful as well as flickering light from a candle surrounded by soft, pink roses, and Stargazer lily bulbs, reading for planting. 

Mentioned are material "things" for which to be grateful.

 Over and above them, are faith, family, dear and faithful friends, ability to see, hear, walk, sing, and dance. 

Here's a sincere wish that you will have a super day today, minus the doldrums, with lots of gratitude to lift up your spirits.

 CAN YOU SHARE ONE THING YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR RIGHT NOW?